The Human Romance
Encyclopedia
The Human Romance is the seventh studio album
by the American metal
band Darkest Hour. The album was released on February 22, 2011 in North America through E1 Music, and was released on March 7 in Europe through Century Media Records
.
studio with producer (and Soilwork
guitarist) Peter Wichers
.
Wichers
previously helmed such acclaimed albums as All That Remains
's The Fall of Ideals
and Soilwork
's latest effort, The Panic Broadcast
.
This time around, the Darkest Hour songs were composed a bit differently than was the case in the past. Guitarist Mike Schleibaum
explains, "We have been working on these tunes ever since we left the studio last April.
'The Eternal Return' was written during a very dark, bleak time for the band and I think that record matches that in both tone and character. Our vision was for it to be an in-your-face, no-frills aggressive assault. The new material shares in that aggression and pushes Darkest Hour beyond the unknown."
page on February 15, 2011.
European bonus track
Darkest Hour
Additional musicians
Recording and production
Artwork
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by the American metal
Metal
A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...
band Darkest Hour. The album was released on February 22, 2011 in North America through E1 Music, and was released on March 7 in Europe through Century Media Records
Century Media Records
Century Media Records is an Independent record label with offices in the United States, Germany, Australia, France, Italy, Sweden, Finland, and the United Kingdom.- Background :...
.
Production
The Human Romance was recorded at a North CarolinaNorth Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
studio with producer (and Soilwork
Soilwork
Soilwork is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Helsingborg. They are currently signed to Nuclear Blast. Formed in late 1995 by Björn Strid and Peter Wichers, originally under the name Inferior Breed, the band changed their name in late 1996 to Soilwork .Their sound is a fusion of the classic...
guitarist) Peter Wichers
Peter Wichers
Peter Wichers is best known as one of the founding members of Swedish melodic death metal band, Soilwork. From 1995 until late 2005, when he announced his departure from the band, he was known as the lead guitarist and also a songwriter, especially on their Stabbing the Drama album...
.
Wichers
Peter Wichers
Peter Wichers is best known as one of the founding members of Swedish melodic death metal band, Soilwork. From 1995 until late 2005, when he announced his departure from the band, he was known as the lead guitarist and also a songwriter, especially on their Stabbing the Drama album...
previously helmed such acclaimed albums as All That Remains
All That Remains (band)
All That Remains is an American heavy metal band from Springfield, Massachusetts, which formed in 1998. They have released five studio albums, a live CD/DVD, and have sold nearly 800,000 records...
's The Fall of Ideals
The Fall of Ideals
The Fall of Ideals is the third studio album by the American metalcore band, All That Remains, released on July 11, 2006. Three music videos were created for the songs "This Calling", "Not Alone" and "The Air That I Breathe"...
and Soilwork
Soilwork
Soilwork is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Helsingborg. They are currently signed to Nuclear Blast. Formed in late 1995 by Björn Strid and Peter Wichers, originally under the name Inferior Breed, the band changed their name in late 1996 to Soilwork .Their sound is a fusion of the classic...
's latest effort, The Panic Broadcast
The Panic Broadcast
The Panic Broadcast is the eighth studio album from Swedish melodic death metal band Soilwork, released July 2 in Europe and July 13 in North America, 2010. The album marks the return of long-time Soilwork guitarist and founder Peter Wichers, who also picks up the role as the album's producer. The...
.
This time around, the Darkest Hour songs were composed a bit differently than was the case in the past. Guitarist Mike Schleibaum
Mike Schleibaum
Michael J. Schleibaum is an accomplished guitarist, musician, composer, and producer. He, along with lead vocalist John Henry, founded and currently plays in metal band Darkest Hour...
explains, "We have been working on these tunes ever since we left the studio last April.
'The Eternal Return' was written during a very dark, bleak time for the band and I think that record matches that in both tone and character. Our vision was for it to be an in-your-face, no-frills aggressive assault. The new material shares in that aggression and pushes Darkest Hour beyond the unknown."
Promotion and release
To promote the album, several songs were available for previewing online prior to the release of The Human Romance. These included the release of "Savor the Kill" in January, and "Your Everyday Disaster" and "Love as a Weapon" in February 2011. The entire album became available for streaming on the band's MyspaceMyspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page on February 15, 2011.
Track listing
- "Terra Nocturnus" – 1:16
- "The World Engulfed in Flames" – 3:52
- "Savor the Kill" – 3:48
- "Man & Swine" – 3:44
- "Love as a Weapon" – 4:00
- "Your Everyday Disaster" – 2:48
- "Violent by Nature" – 2:21
- "Purgatory" – 3:48
- "Severed into Separates" – 3:29
- "Wound" – 3:45
- "Terra Solaris" – 8:41
- "Beyond the Life You Know" – 4:12
European bonus track
- "Hierarchy of Heathens" – 4:52
Critical reception
The Human Romance received generally positive reviews, with 7/10 from 'Audiopinions", and 4.5/6 from "Thrash Hits" by Tom Doyle, saying: "All is, essentially, as it ought to be. Ryan Parrish’s drums are as insistent and driving as ever, Mike Schleibaum’s riffs are in turn spikey and triumphant whilst returning member Mike ‘Lonestar‘ Carrigan fills the hole left by Norris’ with an admirable contribution. There has always been an melodicism central to even Darkest Hour’s densest work and they have cranked this aspect of their sound to 11 on The Human Romance." and "For the fan, pretty much everything here fits the template of what you would expect, without ever pushing into the ‘exceptional’ category. There has clearly been progression since the early days, but over the course of these twelve songs they can appear a touch sonically one dimensional at times.".Personnel
The Human Romance album personnel as adapted from Allmusic.Darkest Hour
- Paul Burnette – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Michael "Lonestar" Carrigan – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- John Henry – vocals
- Ryan Parrish – drum kitDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Mike SchleibaumMike SchleibaumMichael J. Schleibaum is an accomplished guitarist, musician, composer, and producer. He, along with lead vocalist John Henry, founded and currently plays in metal band Darkest Hour...
– guitar
Additional musicians
- Tosin AbasiTosin AbasiTosin Abasi is a Washington DC based virtuoso guitarist who is best known for playing in the instrumental progressive metal band Animals As Leaders. Before Animals as Leaders was formed, he was the guitarist for the technical metalcore band Reflux...
(Animals as LeadersAnimals as LeadersAnimals as Leaders is an American, Washington, D.C.–based instrumental progressive metal band, formed by guitarist Tosin Abasi in 2007 which now includes guitarist Javier Reyes and drummer Navene Koperweis. The self-titled debut album was released in April 2009 by Prosthetic Records...
) – guitar solo on Terra Solaris - Chris CarmichaelChris Carmichael (musician)Chris Carmichael is a musician and arranger born in San Antonio, Texas on July 6, 1962. The son of an Air Force fighter pilot, Chris moved extensively before taking up the violin while living in Hampton, Virginia...
– stringsString instrumentA string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones... - Kristen Randall (ex-Winds of PlagueWinds of PlagueWinds of Plague is an American deathcore band from Upland, California, formed in 2002. They are best known as one of the only deathcore bands to incorporate symphonic elements into their music....
) – pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
Recording and production
- Ryan Smith – masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
- Paul Leavitt – mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
- Mike McAree – engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
- Brian McTernanBrian McTernanBrian McTernan is a record producer who has worked with bands from all over the world. He works out of the Baltimore, MD area at Salad Days Studio. Brian was voted to be one of the 50 most influential people in Maryland by the Maryland Daily Record...
– mixing - Mike Schleibaum – engineer
- Peter WichersPeter WichersPeter Wichers is best known as one of the founding members of Swedish melodic death metal band, Soilwork. From 1995 until late 2005, when he announced his departure from the band, he was known as the lead guitarist and also a songwriter, especially on their Stabbing the Drama album...
– producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Artwork
- Paul Grosso – creative director
- Andrew Kelley – art direction, design
- Tom Medvedich – photography